Simple. Seasonal. Delicious.

Spicy Baked Kale Chips

Let’s just say I was not entirely sold on baked kale chips at first. When I reach for a crisp, salty snack it’s usually popcorn that satisfies my craving. Not a vegetable that is chock full o’ skin-healthy vitamin C, bone-strengthening calcium and immunity-enhancing beta carotene. No thanks.

But, being the curious food lover I am, I picked up a bunch of fresh kale for 99 cents and thought, What the heck. I’ll give it a shot.

A matter of minutes after these came out of the oven, let’s just say I was glad I did! This surprisingly crisp and flavorful snack blew me away, as did the fabulous health benefits of this superfood. Kale’s omega-3 provides many benefits for your hair, skin and nails, but it also contains chemicals with powerful anti-carcinogen properties and metabolism-boosting iron.

Hot tip: Look for small-leafed kale – the bigger the leaves the more bitter the taste.

Why buy pricey bags of these flavorful kale chips at Whole Foods when you can make them with an inexpensive bunch of ingredients at home?

If you’re not keen on red pepper flakes, try garlic powder or a dash of cayenne. Sprinkle over some fresh lemon juice or toss in a little feta. Bake it, fry it, steam it. Add it to a soup, omelet or pizza. You’ll never know what your body is missing ‘til you try a dish with tasty kale!

Spicy Baked Kale Chips

Ingredients:

1 bunch small-leafed kale, rinsed and pat dry

1 Tbsp. olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

Cut kale into 1-inch pieces. Toss the kale in a large bowl with the olive oil and spread evenly on two baking sheets, making sure the pieces are in one layer. (Do not salt. Salt will draw out moisture and cause the kale to not crisp.)

Bake them for about 8-10 minutes, or until crispy, making sure to flip them around half way though. Season with salt, pepper and crushed red pepper flakes.

Comments

You know, I wasn’t thrilled with quinoa when I first heard about it but when I tried it, I loved it. I think that’s what’s going to happen with kale chips. I’ll have to just give it a try and see if I like it!

This is unusual! Twice in one week I have encountered kale chips! I went to Third Thursday Pot Luck at Nancy Vienneau’s (goodfoodmatters.com) this past Thursday and there was a huge bowl of baked kale chips made by one of the guests, Linda. This must be what I must try with my garden full of kale about to go to seed! Thanks for the recipe.

i was the same way! i love potato chips, so i didn’t think that kale chips would satisfy my salty snack craving one bit. while they’re definitely not potato chips, i thought they were pretty darn tasty. love the idea of making them spicy, too!

I came across a kale chip recipe years ago and was instantly in love. Sadly I had forgotten about them until I read your post, thank you. I am on a three week plan to eat healthier and control my portions so these morsels will come in handy.Eva http://kitcheninspirations.wordpress.com

Those look gorgeous!! I still haven’t been brave enough to try making kale chips… I’m not a huge fan of kale so I keep telling myself it would be a waste ’cause I wouldn’t like them anyway… but they look so pretty!!!!

Georgia…I’ve heard so many people rave about baked kale chips…and now I can see why! These look really good…and I LOVE that you added the red pepper flakes! Spicy, salty, crunchy …and good for you! : )

i think kale rocks! i just bought an $8.99 CDN bad of kale chips from Whole Foods Market. Then I thought, why? It would be cheaper for me to make this at home!! I did just make a Rainbow Kale Salad (on my blog) and totally loved it!!

This would be a whole lot better than inhaling a bag of chips while sitting on the couch watching tv wouldn’t it? I’m so inspired to try this! My sister made a kale salad that I will get on my blog soon that pretty much rocked my world so I know I’m a fan.

I’ll be honest…I’m a total skeptic on this too. I don’t know why because I’ve heard so much good, but I’ve yet to try these chips! Your post is so inspirational though…I seriously need to get after it already!

Ahh, so this might explain why I can’t love kale. Everything here are big tough leaves that are so bitter I can’t bear it. I tried juicing them and went “bleh!” and couldn’t understand what everyone was talking about when they said, “make kale chips!” I wanted to use it to line the litter box. :)

I will make an effort to try to find young leaves and see if that makes a difference. Thanks!

AH yes! I love kale chips! I planted about 40 kale plants in my garden last year. I am still in fact harvesting kale from last summer! It survived all winter long (it can survive outside until -20 degrees C!)

We love baked kale chips! We like a mix of green and purple kale and we drizzle it with olive oil and sprinkle it with garlic powder, salt and pepper. Like the addition of red pepper flakes, but our little girls aren’t too fond of the heat.

Yay for healthy snacks! As a mom, I love healthy snacks – especially when it’s green and delicious… give me hope that kids can eat other green veggies. :-) Great introduction of kale chips, Georgia! You made them beautiful and tasty!

We are huge fans of kale in this house – in soups, in our daily green juice and smoothies, even shredded into sweet treats. I always imagined I needed a dehydrator to make kale chips. I suppose not! Thanks for the inspiration :)

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